One of the goals of Let’s Fix Construction is to bring common problems in Architecture, Engineering and Construction to the table for positive and collaborative discussion and solutions. We have complained long enough. It’s time to start fixing things.

In my humble opinion, the best way to fix something is to learn what you don’t know. Often problems are perpetuated simply because we lack a piece of the puzzle and, because nobody tells us, we keep repeating the same mistakes.

The issue that I would like to address today has driven me crazy for years. What’s worse is that it is a relatively easy fix. But, we are not fixing it.

If you don’t already know me, a quick background: I have worked in AEC for 30 years – In Architecture, Engineering AND Construction. This wide-ranging experience in our industry has been a gift in that I have been able to see the process from many different sides. Add to that a heavy involvement in the Construction Specifications Institute (No, they are not only about specs!) and I feel uniquely qualified to write this blog.

There is a commonality in AEC, no matter what discipline in which you work. Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, Product Reps, Owners, etc. That commonality is project delivery processes and contract administration. It doesn’t matter who you are, you need to know the project requirements, risks, roles and responsibilities. Period. No question about it. No brainer.

But, guess what? Very few in relation to the whole of our industry have this knowledge. WHAAAAAT? How in the world do you work on a project and not know this? Ummmm, we are all over the place.

Let me ask you a few questions:

How many times have you read the General Conditions, front to back, on a project you are working on? Do you even know what the General Conditions are? Do you know that they affect you, CONTRACTUALLY, no matter your discipline?

What is the difference between Design/Build, Design Assist and Delegated Design? Who is responsible for what? Where is the balance of risk?

Do you know the different roles and responsibilities for different project delivery methods and how they affect you? Design/Build, Design/Bid/Build, Owner/Build, Integrated Project Delivery, etc.

What are the requirements for submittals on your project? Where do you find them? How many different places do you need to look?

What about substitutions? What are the rules? Before Construction? After Construction?

Why does a spec section have three parts? What belongs where? Where do parties to the Contract look for this information?

What is the relationship between the General Conditions, Supplementary Conditions, Administrative Requirements and Part 1 of your spec section.

Can you answer these questions? Seriously, I could go on for hours listing the things that many don’t know. The important point here is that the items above and many more affect every one of you on a project, I don’t care who you are. You can’t possibly efficiently and effectively do your job without having this knowledge. Your level of risk skyrockets if you don’t know the contractual requirements of your project (or at a minimum where to look for them) and your efficiency plummets. In a “time is money” business, this is unacceptable.​Now, you might be thinking something like ‘This if for the powers-that-be to understand.’ That is flawed thinking. Very, very flawed.

Do you want to be the one that makes the mistake on the project that somebody didn’t spot because you don’t have this basic knowledge? Do you want to be the one that wastes a boatload of unnecessary hours on your project because you don’t know or understand the rules of the game? Personally, I am not fond of a trial-by-fire education. I would much rather be proactive. I would much rather know what my peers do not and share that knowledge.

The worst part? This education is not happening in colleges, the trades or by most manufacturers for their Product Reps. People in AEC are getting out of school or training believing they are armed with what they need to productively enter the workplace. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

When do these people figure out that they are missing a major piece of their education and training? It is typically when something goes wrong or when someone ‘in the know’ sets them straight.

Now I am not faulting anybody here. Nobody is getting this education. How in the world are you supposed to know what you don’t know?

Well, let me tell you.

There are a lot of industry organizations that will teach bits and pieces of this education. Unfortunately, most of them are discipline focused and don’t really give you the entire picture. This is a ‘Team’ industry. You absolutely cannot work in a bubble and do your job well. I personally have only found one organization that teaches Project Delivery Education, cradle-to-grave, in a way that ANY member of ANY discipline will come away with valuable knowledge that will set you apart and will change the way you work immediately.

The education is invaluable, very cost effective and the Certificate will set you apart as an industry professional who truly understands how the entire project process is supposed to work. You will make far less mistakes, know how to find the information you need, understand the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved and reduce risk on your projects.

I have been teaching CDT, on my own time, for about four years now. I have taught everyone from emerging to seasoned professionals in every single discipline in AEC. I have lost count of how many have attended my classes but I know it is not nearly enough. I do this because it matters. A lot.

It almost hurt when an Architect in one of my classes with 40 years of experience said to me “I am about to retire. I wish I would have known these things.” Or the time an Engineer said “What’s Division 01?” Or maybe the time the Subcontractor said “I didn’t know these requirements were part of the CONTRACT. I thought I just had to look at my section.” Or the Product Rep who didn’t understand that a design professional can’t use manufacturer language that dictates means and methods.

I could go on for days.

The bottom line:

THE PROBLEMAEC Industry professionals, in all disciplines, are not getting holistic project delivery education which is creating risk and inefficiencies.THE SOLUTION, AT LEAST A STARTGet your CDT from CSI.

The last five lines are all you need to know. Your schools and training programs are not giving you what you need. Until they figure it out, be smart and get it yourself. Everyone you work with will thank you!

I highly recommend both earning the CDT credential and joining CSI. It's the best forum on the planet for learning about, and contributing to, our fascinating industry.

I've been a spec writer and a CSI member for 43 years and it's a very valuable organization that has helped me enormously. CSI's certification programs, for all players, but for product reps especially, serve to demonstrate one's commitment to the construction industry. If you're a construction product rep who has invested the time in earning CDT and/or CCPR credentials, you're unlikely to leave the industry to sell, say, Buicks or medical equipment.

Now, to your point about why knowledge of basic principles of construction documents isn't more widespread. For years, I've suspected that people in our AEC industry pay little or no attention to CSI at least partly because of the word "specifications" in the organization's title. People zone out when they see the word "specifications". Their insecurities about their writing skills come to the fore. And many architects, though they have superb problem-solving skills and spacial visualization skills, have a serious aversion to actually reading anything that isn't written in all caps.

How about we rename the organization The Construction DOCUMENTS Institute instead? That's really what we're about anyway. We can't write specs in a vacuum. We have to steep ourselves in the idea of construction documents - not just specs - to get our work right. I spend at least as much time analyzing and critiquing drawings and Revit models as I do editing specs. I have to, It's how I figure out what I'm writing about.

I was always in favor of redefining the CSI acronym, to omit the emphasis on specifications. How about the Construction Synergy Initiative? Synergy = the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. Initiative = energy or aptitude displayed in initiation of action : enterprise.

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Let's Fix Construction is an avenue to offer creative solutions, separate myths from facts and erase misconceptions about the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.